聖誕快樂 新年快樂!

Merry Christmas everyone! (at least that's what I hope those characters say...) 

I have some exciting news: tomorrow I leave for China!  It'll just be a quick trip, which is unfortunate, since I have to be back to leave for Guatemala.  My dear friend Yue'e is getting married in her hometown of Fuzhou, on the southern coast across from Taiwan.  It should be quite the adventure since my Mandarin only covers "hello", "thank you" and "I love you".

I also have to share my excitement over the white Christmas we currently have in North Dakota.  We've had a record snowfall this December and it's beautiful outside.  The downside has been the frigid cold (lots of highs below zero).  Yesterday my brother and I went inner tube sledding, but only managed to last outside for half an hour before we froze.

Here are some pics from the last time I was in Guatemala:

Not all who wander are lost...

So I finally have my own blog.  Most people wouldn't know, but that fills me with more anxiety and stress than it should.  I'm not the best writer (as I often write how I would speak, ha!) and the idea that people can go back and read my randomness is just...I don't know, intimidating?  But I will ask patience from those who will bear with me as I figure it all out.  Having a reliable platform for sharing stories and pictures is (in my opinion) much better than long-winded, rarely read e-mails.

So what kind of stories and pictures do I have in mind to share?  Well I guess that brings me to where I am in life.  A while ago I decided I wanted to go back to school, but I also wanted more international experience....so I applied to a joint program with the Peace Corps and Southern New Hampshire University to study International Community Economic Development.  I'm finishing up my second semester of school this week (hooray!) and then I head to Guatemala in January for the next 27 months to work on a project which will be my thesis.  I am VERY excited!

I really hope you all can enjoy sharing this experience with me.  Please leave comments/feedback and keep me up to date on your adventures as well!

Much love,

Brittany